Nigeria legend says Rangers star and other newbies must be given time

Several players are likely to make their debuts for the Super Eagles, including Gers midfielder, Joe Aribo.

Aribo’s early season performances earned him international recognition. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The 23-year-old was called up for the first time recently by Gernot Rohr and will be keen to showcase his abilities.

Yet, Dosu has urged the fans to be patient with all the new arrivals, who can’t be expected to slot straight into the side and excel.

Nigeria legend says Rangers midfielder must be allowed to settle

“It has become a norm in our football that when new players are invited to the Super Eagles, we always expect them to deliver as soon as possible,” said Dosu, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. “I really don’t think that is very easy considering the fact that many of them may not really impress in their first game.”

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“A few of them tend to win the heart of Nigerians by trying to impress, thereby putting themselves under immense pressure. These are things we have seen in the past and I think that has to change.

“I wouldn’t want Nigerians to judge some of the newly invited players such as Joe Aribo, Emil Maduka Okoye, Josh Maja, and Emmanuel Dennis by the Ukraine friendly.”

Nigeria finished third in the most recent instalment of the African Cup of Nations. (Photo by Ahmed Awaad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Verdict

It’s a sign of the impression Aribo has made during his first few months at Rangers, that he’s already earned a maiden international call-up.

Judging by Dosu’s comments, there’s clearly a lot of hype and pressure surrounding the national team. Therefore, perhaps it’s not a bad thing that the 23-year-old’s first outing is set to come in a friendly staged away from home.

Unfortunately for Gerrard, this fixture doesn’t take place until Tuesday evening, leaving less than optimal recovery time ahead of the Gers clash against Livingston on Saturday. Nonetheless, let’s hope Aribo can make his debut, before returning with renewed confidence following his first experience of an international camp.

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Jordan joins Rangers News from a Media and Journalism postgraduate degree at the University of Glasgow. Brought up in Belfast as a Rangers fan, he has a passion for writing and has followed British and European football avidly all his life.